Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Paul and I just returned from a fun filled week on board the ms Veendam. What a great trip! We went with my mom, brother, his wife, and my sister. It was to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday this year. I wasn't sure Paul would survive 8 days with my family stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean, but he did! The week was full of many great memories! Here are a few of the highlights:

Most Memorable:Being waited on hand and foot. Dressing up for amazing 5 course meals every night--if you want one of everything on the menu, they will bring it to you!

Spending time with family in amazing and exotic parts of the world!

Most Relaxing Shipboard Activity:

Sitting out on the promenade deck, watching beautiful sunsets over the ocean.

Favorite Treats:Of course there are always amazing amounts of treats and gourmet desserts on board ship, but one of our favorites, and a daily treat for us was the ice cream bar, practically 24/7! Tastes so good after an afternoon of lounging in the sun!

Another fabulous treat we discovered in Key West was Key Lime Pie on a Stick! It was frozen and dipped in chocolate! Yum!!!

Most Relaxing Excursion:There we were, in the middle of the rain forest in Guatemala, and what did we do? We went to this really cool, beautiful resort complete with private pools, private beach, hammocks, a turtle and iguana farm, water slides, a light house, and great shopping! It was so fun! We had a riot on the water slides and in the pool, but we also just had plenty of time to lay in a hammock or chaise and just relax!

Place we spent the most time on board:The lido deck! Yes, they really have lido decks on cruise ships--not just on the Love Boat on TV!

Most Interesting Excursion:The Mayan ruins of Altun Ha in Belize. Due to flooding, our original excursion to the Xunantunich ruins was cancelled. We went here instead and really enjoyed learning its history and climbing the temple behind us in the photo!

Most Fun In Port:

Here we are in the hurricane ravaged port of Costa Maya, Mexico. We hadn't planned an excursion here. Just planned on enjoying the beautiful beach below! Once there, however, we decided to rent a jet ski for an hour of endless fun and exhilaration! After that, we hopped on a boat that took us out to the reef to snorkel for an hour, and we saw some great fish! Really a fun day!

Funniest Moments:

The day we found out there was a "peasant revolt" in Roatan so we couldn't get off the ship there (that was a bummer, but the peasant revolt cracked us up! Especially since right in our daily program Roatan boasted the fact that there had never been any political uprising in their history!) The next funny moment happened later that day when Paul and I snuck up to the completely empty "Teens Only" area (thus the reason for sneaking as we are clearly past teenage years, though compared to the rest of the passengers, we could pass for teenagers!) to lay in the hammocks up there for a little nap. I very gracefully sat on one and proceeded to do a complete 180 in it, effectively dumping me on my rear end on the floor! Paul wished he had the video camera rolling for it, but he was laughing too hard! He did make me stay on the ground until he could snap a quick photo to document my graceful moves!

Lastly, volunteering my brother and sister-in-law to participate in the Newly and Not So Newly Wed Game. Once up there we learned all kinds of things about them, including my brother's not so appropriate pet name for his wife. But the funniest part came when they had to announce in front of all their family where was the most unusual spot they had a little fun (if you know what I mean)! Poor Todd! Nothing like sharing it all with your mom and sisters in the audience!

Rebecca and Paul

Justin

Our computer wiz--imagine a video game, and he will program it and post it on his website! (Click on his photo to go to it.) Soccer, golf, basketball, and football are also favorites! Justin is our go to kid--always helping out.

Jordan

Watch out Tiger! This is our golfer! He makes the game look easy! When not playing soccer or golf, you might catch him practicing his violin, or playing the Wii with his little brother! He is our snuggle bug and friend to everyone.

Tyler

There is nothing this kid can't do! Everything he tries, he does well. If it's hard at first, he keeps trying until he masters it, from golf, to piano, to video games!

Eric

Yep, you guessed it--just look at those eyes and you know who rules the house! Every minute is an adventure with a three year old--especially our little bubba!